Natasha Morris Fund helps Dolly Monroe Academy students

TAMPA, Florida – October may be Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but the Dolly Monroe Beauty Academy in Tampa has found a way to raise awareness year round.

“It was inspiring to watch my aunt lead her battle with breast cancer,” said Academy owner Dolly Monroe. “She beat him twice before.”

Dolly Monroe’s aunt, Natasha Morris, was diagnosed four and a half years before her death.

“My aunt was a powerful woman. She inspired so many people. One thing that has inspired me is the way she inspires others, ”said Monroe. “It’s so important to me because it’s become my whole career.”

The Natasha Morris Memorial Fund, named after her aunt, offers scholarships to help students get their beauty license.

“The Dolly Monroe Beauty Academy has a 98% graduation rate,” Monroe said. “We are an aesthetics and makeup program. We offer advanced training as well as entry level education in microblading, eyelash extensions, hair removal – you name it, we offer it.

The Natasha Morris scholarship is valued at $ 12,900. Recipients will receive all tuition and full makeup kits for the 5-7 week course.

“It’s part of the success,” Monroe said. “You can’t grow without taking care of your community and when you do, it leads to ultimate success. “

A success that she hopes to share through scholarships on behalf of her aunt.

“She was a woman of beauty and power,” Monroe said. “Her standard of excellence is something I wanted to make sure I could give back and that’s what inspired us to do our scholarship in honor of my aunt, Natasha Morris and it’s a way for me to turning her life and journey into something positive to give back to our community.

The American Breast Cancer Society estimates that 42,000 people will die of breast cancer this year.